Rehabilitation of differently abled, a dire need

by L.S. Ananda WEDAARACHCHI

Steps should be taken by the Government to rehabilitate the thousands of differently abled persons in the country some of whom have to resort to begging, Sri Lanka National Federation of Visually Handicapped Senior President W.M.D. Ratnasekera said.

The International Day of the Differently Abled falls on December 3 and a media briefing in this regard was held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Film Institute auditorium, organised by the Disability Organisations Joint Front.

Addressing the media briefing, Ratnasekera said that there is a dire need to rehabilitate the differently abled persons with the setting-up of a national institute to regulate its activities.Differently abled persons account for 10 percent of Sri Lanka's population.

Vice President of Sri Lanka Foundation for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled, Prasanna Kuruppu said that the Disability Organisations Joint Front was set up in June 2001 to enable the disability organisations to work as a pressure group to protect the rights of persons with disabilities and ensure a free and independent life for them.He said that there were over 22 member organisations representing those with physical, intellectual, visual and hearing disabilities living in various parts of the country.